Little Mockingjays
by extracoolpainter
Summary: Katniss realized that Peeta was right for her, not Gale. Warning- Extreme Peetniss fluff, and i'M HORRIBLE at summaries. PeetaXKatniss. Rated M.
1. Leaving

Chapter 1: Leaving

I stared down at my bruises. I was used to Gale hitting me now. It happened every day whether he was drunk or not. Why did I marry him? Here he comes now, I hide in the bathroom.

I hear the door open. I feel like a mouse, and Gale's the cat. A big, abusive cat.

"Katniss!" Gale shouts.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Where are you?" He's in our bedroom now.

"In the bathroom." I say shakily.

"Can I come in?" he inquires.

"Just a second." I am terrified of what will happen to me.

I open the door. Gale stands there. But, he's not drunk, or hitting me.

"I need to talk to you. I want to ask you something." He doesn't look angry

"Ok." I know that tears have fallen onto my shoes.

He ushers me to our bed. I sit a distance from him.

"Come here." he orders. "Please? I know you're scared, Katniss. That's what I want to talk to you about."

"Don't hurt me, please, Gale, I love you." I shake. "Why do you hurt me?"

"I don't know, Katniss. Work is really stressful" Gale hangs his head.

"Why do you call me all those names, though?"

"What?" He defends.

"You always call me stuff like slut and you call me your little whore." I cup my face in my hands.

"I know, I hate myself for it, too." He doesn't look sorry to me.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." I mumble.

"Not true, I love you so much, baby."

"No. No. NO! NO!" I hyperventilate.

"Katniss?" He holds me.

"What?" I'm shaking to death.

"Would sex make up for it?" He pulls on my pants.

"No!" I tug away.

"Honey, please?" Gale begs. "It could fix us."

"No, Gale, I don't enjoy being abused and then be agreeing that having a child will make it better."

"Why?" Gale looks sad.

"I don't want you to abuse the baby when it's alone."

"I won't!" Gale looks angry now. He stands up to tower over me, raising his hand.

I feel a sharp pain on my cheek.

"That's why I won't have sex with you." I sobbed. He ran out of the room, then the house.

I write a note. I take off my rings.

Gale,

I'm tired of you abusing me, and then wanting to have sex. It's not right to do that to me. So, I'm leaving you, for someone who loves me.

Here's some hints about the man I'm leaving you for.

He's a painter.

He's a baker.

He's blonde with oceans for eyes.

He never takes sugar in his tea.

He always double-knots his shoe-laces.

He sleeps with the windows open.

We were in two Hunger Games together,

I love him.

And he loves me.

And you know exactly who he is.

Love,

Katniss.

P.S. Here's your rings back. I realized that I never wanted them.


	2. A journey

Chapter 2: A journey

The effect is immediate.

From the second I step out the door, I feel as if rocks have been lifted from my shoulders. My chains are gone, I'm free.

I decide to call Haymitch once i'm seated.

"Hello? Is that you, sweetheart?"

"Yes," I grin, remembering our long friendship.

"I realized that Gale only wanted to abuse me. Marrying him was the biggest mistake I ever made. I'm coming back to beg forgiveness. Even though I don't deserve it."

Haymitch applauds me, and I roll my eyes.

"Good choice, sweetheart. Old Bread Boy's been in a bad mood ever since you left. Won't eat or talk to anyone."

I gasp. I've broken his heart beyond repair.

"Well," I say, trying to choke back tears. "Tell him that I always loved him, and that I'm coming back for him."

"Alright. Take care, sweetheart." The line goes dead. And I spend the rest of the train ride mourning Peeta's broken heart.

I finally get to District 12, and I can see Peeta working in the bakery. Those think triceps rippling with every knead. I nearly jump off the train to go fly to his doorstep. When I get there, I let my hair down so that it's just like Peeta likes it.

I take a deep breath, and go open the door. The bell sounds to signal my arrival.

Soon enough, I find my Peeta, with his golden hair and twin sapphire for eyes, and I forget everything and throw myself into his arms. And sob.

He strokes my hair while trying to calm me down. When I cease crying, his sparkling oceans turn serious.

"Katniss, what's going on?"


	3. The Explanation

Chapter 3: The Explanation

We sit down on the couch upstairs. I now know that his shirt is soaked with my tears.

"Baby, Katniss, what's wrong?" he asked concernedly.

"Gale destroyed me." I shook in his hold.

"What? I don't understand..." He inquires

"He would hit me all the time." I cry.

"Hit you!?" He looked deep into my eyes. "Katniss, tell me everything, please, now."

I did, it all came out in a flood. Once I was finished he had an expression of anger, sadness, and guilt on his face. But leave it to Peeta to experience all of these feelings at once.

"I swear, if I ever see Hawthorne again, I'll kill him," he says.

"Peeta," I plead.

"No, Katniss! You don't deserve that! You deserve better." he replies.

"I deserve you," I say, he looks at me with his oceans for eyes. "That's why I came back."

"You came back for me?" he asks.

"Peeta," I mounted him so I was facing him in his lap. "I made a mistake, I love you so much and I was too dumb to realize it. I should've chosen you in the first place"

He kisses me on my lips. neck, and forehead. Each spot where his tips touched me, I felt bliss. Something that made me open up. I loved Peeta. And nobody could take me away from him.

Here, I was home.


	4. No More Nightmares

Chapter 4: No more Nightmares

"Dinner, Katniss? Do you want my specialty, cheese buns?"

Typical Peeta. He always knows what I want and need. Gale made me make dinner.

"Always." He gives me a huge grin, and stops to kiss me before heading to the kitchen.

While he makes the dinner, I'm thinking. Peeta, my bread boy, is mine. I love him more than Gale, more than anyone.

After dinner, we're sitting on the couch. Or, he is, and I'm on his lap.

"Peeta, I... I..." I need the words to tell him how I really feel.

"What is it, baby?"

"I don't deserve you. You're so much better than me. I broke your heart and stomped all over it."

I break into tears.

He holds me. "Katniss, you're all I ever wanted. I can't even notice anyone when you're around. I love you so much."

He said he loved me. I smile, climb off his lap, and playfully say, "Prove it."

He doesn't hesitate for a second. His lips crash onto mine, and he kisses me with a passion that I didn't know existed in him.

I kiss him back, and his tounge whisks into my mouth. I put mine in his, and we carry on.

He puts his hand under my shirt. Then, he immediately takes his hand off, perhaps feeling uncomfortable, and breaks our kiss to apologize.

"Peeta, take my shirt off." I say.

"Katniss, I don't want to make you uncomfortable..."

"Peeta, take the damn shirt off!"

He does, and I immediatley take his off, too. He has rock- hard abs, and I lean against him so I can feel every single muscle. We resume making out until we fall asleep.

In each other's arms.

Always.


	5. Gale's Return

Chapter 5: Gale's Return

I woke with a start. I thought Peeta was Gale. I looked at him, my Peeta, he was laying next to me, holding my waist.

His eyes fluttered open. "Katniss?" he asked drowsily.

"Peeta," I sobbed, he held my back at my bra strap.

"C'mere, kitty cat." He held me closer. "Nightmare?"

I nod. Peeta's shirt was off, I loved his chest. I hid inside his arms and sobbed.

"Baby," he whispered. "You're safe now, it's okay." He stroked down my back, then back up. "Shhhh, Katniss. Hey." He put my head up. "I love you."

"Don't hurt me, please." I pleaded.

"I would die first." He kissed me softly.

"You love me?" I asked.

"Always." he replied.

"Don't tell me, Peeta. I want you to show me." I told him.

"Are you sure?"

"Peeta," I mounted his chest and caged him with my legs. He stiffened, and grabbed my thighs.

"Katniss," He told me quietly. "We're not married." He looked away. "Not that I don't want to, God, I do, but we should wait."

I looked sad, and leaned to his ear. "Condom?"

"I don't have one." He told me.

"Oh! Peeta, I have a whole box!" I went to the drawer and pulled it out. "Haymitch" I threw one at him.

"Why'd he give them to you, though?!"

"He said you'd be too embarrassed to accept them." I got on top of him again.

Then there was a knock on the door.

I put my shirt and pants on. And go downstairs.

I open the front door.

"G-g-gale?" He was there, but he wasn't angry.

"Hey, Catnip." He comes in for an embrace, but I back away. "Please come back," he says.

"No, Gale." I say.

He walks to the porch.

"Ok." he says. Then he leaves. I close the door.

"Who was that?" Peeta asked me.

"Gale."

"That bastard," he spat. "Did he come back?"

"Yeah, but now he won't return." I told him.

"Good." He kisses me fiercely. "Let's go back upstairs"


	6. Proposal

Chapter 6: Proposal

I wake up to Peeta's arms wrapped protectively around me.

"Morning, beautiful." His oceans for eyes are open and gazing lovingly at me. Yet I sense a nervousness about him.

"Morning, handsome" I reply playfully.

He just lies there.

I say, "Well, are you going to make me cheese buns?"

He replies, shakily, "First, I've got something to s-show you." His voice quakes.

Frowning slightly, I get dressed in the bathroom.

Peeta takes my hand and marches me down the stairs, out the door, and over to the edge of the woods.

"Picnic." he explains.

He sets everything out on a nice white blanket. "Cranberry juice?"

I nod, and he pours an opaque liquid into a glass. I barely see him drop something into the cup.

Next, he pulls out cheese buns. Then, he gazes fondly at me.

And leans forward,

cups my face in his hand,

and kisses me with a shy passion that can only characterize what Peeta is to me.

He then smiles, pats my leg, and says, "Eat up,"

I dive into the cheese buns. They're delicious, as usual. After inhaling both, Peeta says, "Eat much? Save room for the juice."

I drink it, and it tastes cold, sweet and pure. Then my lips bump into something round.

I look curiously at the object I now hold in my hand. Peeta hands me a napkin, and I wipe it off.

And stare in shock.

Because the first thing I see is the pearl, my pearl, stuck on a silver band. Diamonds are embedded in it. And engraved inside of the ring is a single word. "Always"

Peeta runs his hands through his golden locks.

"No idea how that got there"

I slightly smile. My Peeta's face breaks out into a happy grin.

"One thing I forgot to mention" he says.

"What?" I ask. He take my hand in his.

"Katniss Everdeen, will you marry me?"

My face starts imitating his.

"Always."


	7. News to Haymitch

Chapter 7: News to Haymitch

We walk into Haymitch's house the next day and he's on the couch, knocked out. He has a whiskey bottle in his hand. And, in the other, a flask. The TV was on, and there was a pitcher of water on the counter. Peeta grabs it and hands it to me.

Before I pour the whole thing on him, we kick and nudge Haymitch. Finally, I splash the whole thing on his face.

"Ahhh, what the hell?" he shouts.

"Nice to see you, too." Peeta retorts.

"We have news, Haymitch." I say.

"Good or bad?" he asks drowsily. "If both, I want the bad news first."

"The bad news is that Gale came back, but he left." Peeta explained.

"Anymore news?" He asks me.

"Well, yes, and, well, Peeta and I are, um..."

"Parents?" he inquired, his eyes bulging.

"No, not yet." Peeta told him as he held my waist. "We're engaged."

"'Bout time you guys got married." he told us. "Who's gonna walk you down the aisle?"

"I don't know, we're still thinking." Peeta explained.

"I'll do it." Haymitch stood up. "I could be your temporary dad."

"Ok. Dad. Mentor. Pretty close." I shrugged.

"Sounds great." And we left. There was one thought going through my mind as I walked down the street.

Haymitch is going to be my dad, and Peeta will officially be mine.

Always.


End file.
